“We have everything you would need here,” Ross said.
“Or we can special order anything you want,” Chambers added.
“And you take in a hefty profit?” Rory asked.
Ross shook his head. “A bit, but we use a lot of locals for our leather work. In fact, we’re working on a deal with Maui Kink about having a few special pieces made up just for Rough ‘n Ready. They do some wonderful work. We believe in supporting the Hawaiian economy and what better way to do that than use folks here?”
“Because of that, we lose the hefty profit we would get with a mainland outlet, but for Micah and myself, it’s more important to support our adopted home,” Chambers said.
Rory walked around the small area. It was well lit but not overly bright. The design was deceptive because you thought you were heading into something dark and dim, but when you approached the shelves, you could see everything easily. The small lights behind every shelf gave them enough illumination to shop.
“It’s my design.”
He looked over at Evan. “Yeah?”
“I’m a contractor. I wanted to make sure it was easy to shop but people aren’t going to walk into a store for sexual toys if it’s lit up like a freaking Walmart.”
He chuckled. “I have to agree with that.”
“We do have an outside entrance for shopping during the day. We just started that. There weren’t a lot of places to shop here on the islands, so we decided to test it out.”
“And?” Rory asked.
Chambers shrugged. “Business has been steady. We only do a few days a week.”
Rory headed over and picked up a nice black leather crop. He had a feeling that Maura would like to play a little like this. Her reaction to the nipple clamps had been a little more than he had expected. He wanted to push it up a notch. He held onto it, turned and then he saw the collars. There was a wall of them, from floor to ceiling. They had everything from the heavy duty to the pink fuzz. In the center there was a bright red collar, smooth leather, with some rhinestones on either side. There was a spot for a name.
Without thinking, he headed over to it. He picked it up off the shelf and realized he’d been wrong. There was a name on it.
Ours.
He smoothed his fingers over the fine leather. It was supple, well made and it wouldn’t damage her skin. The letters were stamped into the leather. He could imagine the way it would look around her throat.
“Nice,” Ross said. “I remember when that came in a couple days ago. Everyone was in a tither over it.”
Rory fought the urge to immediately put it back like he’d been caught doing something wrong. He forced a smile and glanced at Ross. “I’ve never bought a collar before.”
Ross crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve never been into it, and I have feeling that Dee would scalp me if I tried. She likes play, but collars…no. I’m pretty sure that’s not her thing. But, the right woman...she would like it.”
Was he hinting Maura would like it? Zee had told him that Ross hadn’t trained Maura, but what did Ross know about Maura’s desires? He didn’t like that the man apparently speculated on the subject enough to think she would want a collar. And just what the hell did Maura think she was doing telling people about her likes and dislikes?
Apparently the club owner read his thoughts. “Whoa, son. I didn’t train her, but she did have a lot of questions. I’m off the market in the training department as is Evan. We’re old married men now.”
Bloody hell. He drew in a deep breath and pulled his temper back. He was losing it and not in a good way. A woman’s past had never really been all that important to him. All of his lovers had a past, just as he had. He always found it hypocritical of men he knew who judged their lovers’ past behavior. But, with Maura he was dealing with feelings he had for no one other than Zee.
“Old my ass,” Evan said as he walked up. He looked at the collar in Rory’s hands. “Nice.”
Zee frowned down at it. “Not sure if she would go for that.”
He nodded knowing Zee was probably right. He didn’t even know if she wanted to be with them past this week and it had only been three days. People didn’t get serious that quickly…and he really didn’t know if he wanted to.
“Probably not. But the workmanship is first class.” He set it back on the shelf. “Let me check out.”
He sensed Ross watching him as he walked away. He heard him say, “Let me show you the new security system we want to do.”
That was all Zee had to hear. “I’ll be up in the office.”
Rory nodded as they walked away.
“The stairs are on the left side of the club. Just come on up when you’re done.” Ross glanced at the collar then at Rory. His lips twitched and he followed his friend and Zee out of the shop.
Rory looked at the collar from the corner of his eye as he moved up in line. He set the crop, along with a box of condoms on the counter. At the last minute he said, “Wait.”
Before he could change his mind, he rushed over and grabbed the collar. He gave it to the female clerk who smiled at him.
He didn’t have to give it to Maura, but just in case… he could keep it around. None of them knew what would happen after this week. He knew Zee loved her and Rory was man enough that he could admit he was starting to have more than just sexual feelings for her.
Shit. He walked out of the store and decided to take the bag out to the jeep and lock it up. He would decide what to do with the collar later. Hell, he probably wouldn’t give it to her but he could always sell it. The workmanship would bring in a pretty penny.
After locking it up, he headed back into the club. He couldn’t think about that, about next week, about anything beyond tonight. He was already being seduced by the idea of keeping her with them. Always.
He learned a long time ago, wishing for things like that would lead to heartache.
Chapter Thirteen
Maura took a sip of water and smiled as she watched the best friends banter back and forth. It wasn’t enough of a distraction from the feeling someone was watching them. Or her. She hadn’t felt it since that night out with the guys, but now, she felt it. As before, it was going to be hard to pinpoint because there was such a huge crowd.
“So, Maura, tell us about living with two men,” May said. It wasn’t a question. May just said it as if she were asking how she liked her blonde hair.
Dee choked on her drink. “God, May, will you ever learn how to have normal conversations?”
“No. Normal conversations are boring. I’m not boring. I never understood the reason for small talk. People I don’t know, sure I’ll talk boring shit with them all day long. Friends, I don’t see the reason to do it.” She smiled at Maura. “So, spill.”
She returned her smile. The two friends were so different, but they complimented each other much as their husbands did. Both were striking, but where Dee was a stunning Italian with those quintessential Mediterranean features, May was pure Hawaiian. Long dark hair reached her mid back and her eyes, the blue of them kept catching the attention of just about anyone in their vicinity, man or woman.
In a way, they reminded her of the relationship she had with Jillian.
“I’m not living with them, really. Just while we’re here on vacation.”
May opened her mouth but Dee stepped in. “I’m going to warn you about May. She wants to know what it’s like to be with two guys all the time...and by be with I mean in the bedroom. Not like she doesn’t know what it’s like—ask me about that sometime. But that’s what she wants to know. Her brain is always in the bedroom.”
“Well, I’m sure those two aren’t boring. More than likely, they’ve used other rooms in the house.”
It was Maura’s turn to choke on her water.
May scooted forward in her seat and smacked Maura on her back a few times to help her.
“No, I’m fine. Stop, May you’re going to leave bruises on my back.”
“I’m sorry. I just…
we don’t have much time before the men will descend on us. They don’t seem like they want you away from them for long.”
She frowned. “Is it that obvious?”
She wasn’t ashamed of being with the men but she wasn’t sure she wanted Conner to know what was going on. Not if the relationship didn’t make it past this week. His relationship with Zeke would be at stake and that was something she couldn’t accept. Conner had few friends in his life—mainly because of his control freak ways.
May’s voice broke into Maura’s thoughts. “Yeah. Lord, they watch you constantly. So, tell me, do you like it?”
She rolled her eyes and hummed. “You’ve seen them.”
“Yeah. I didn’t get the Dom vibe off Zeke when I met him before.”
“He’s not really into BDSM, at least participating.”
“Oh, well I don’t like to invade people’s privacy—”
“That’s a lie.”
May gave Dee a dismissive glance. “But what do you mean, not into participating?”
She shifted on her seat. She told Jillian but she wasn’t sure if she wanted others to know. May must have picked up on her reluctance.
“Never mind. I won’t pry.”
“For once,” Dee muttered.
“But, good for you. I always thought you and Zeke should be together.”
For a second, she didn’t know what to say. The idea was too delicious to ignore. It was something she wanted for a long time and never thought to have. But when Rory had moved to Miami, she had thought that it was for the best. It was worse after the last few days. Now, dammit, she wanted both of them.
Before she knew it, she was blinking back tears.
“Oh, honey,” May said as she patted her hand. “I’m sorry. What’s wrong?”
Maybe it was because it was just the three of them, or maybe because she hadn’t really talked to anyone about it since she’d talked to Jillian, but she said, “I’m not sure I’ll be with them when the week is over.”
“Oh. Oh! They’re together. You were invited.” May looked at Dee then back at her. “Hmm.”
She said nothing else and Maura felt her patience slipping. “What?”
May said nothing as she looked around. It was as if she was searching for something or someone. “I have a feeling that those two do not want a week. They will want more.”
“Really? Because you haven’t talked to either of them since Jillian and Conner got married,” Dee said. She looked at Maura. “Ignore her. She thinks she’s some kind of relationship guru.”
“You just have to let things happen and let Auntie May help.”
Dee’s eyes widened with what looked like alarm. “Maylea Aiona Chambers, what are you up to?”
May shook her head as a slow smile curved her lips and she waved at someone in the crowd. Maura turned to follow her line of vision and saw the man she was waving over. He strode through the club with a lazy, laid back walk that was definitely deceptive. If you looked at him closely, you could see the way he scanned the area for threats. He was tall, taller than most, built like a bit of a boxer. His blond hair was cut short, and the kind of tan he had told her he worked outside. And…there was something vaguely familiar about him. That put her on alert. She had a very good memory and sometimes the pictures of men on the wanted posters stuck with her.
“May, that is a really bad idea.”
“Naw, Eli likes being used. It’s part of his charm.”
“Well, hello, ladies,” he said. Oh, damn he was Australian. He scanned their faces then stopped when he saw Maura. His lips curved. “And hello to you, darlin’.”
“I didn’t know you were back on Oahu,” May said.
He broke his attention from her to look at May. His smile dimmed. “Bossman is here for a procedure. He’s been kind of sickly and I wanted to hop over for a couple days to check him out.”
“Aww, is he at Queens’?”
Eli nodded.
“I’ll get Cynthia to make some of that monkey bread he loves so much and go see him.”
“He’d like that. Now, why don’t you introduce me to your friend.”
“Elias St. John, this is Maura Dillon. Maura, this is Eli. He runs a ranch on the Big Island. Maura’s here visiting her brother.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Then, she remembered him from her trip over before. “I think we’ve met before.”
He cocked his head to one side and studied her. “I think I would remember a stunner like you, love.”
“It was about two years ago.” She sensed Dee’s glance but ignored it. “I had longer hair, and it was dark.”
She knew the moment he remembered. “Yes. And you were with an Irishman.”
Maura smiled and nodded and he stilled his movements. He kept staring at her, then his mouth curved slowly. The silence among the four of them stretched out. She glanced at May and Dee. Dee shrugged but May smiled.
“Why don’t you have a seat and tell us what’s going on over there,” May said.
Dee shot her a look but she smiled at Eli. “Yeah, why not?”
“I don’t mind if I do,” he said, taking the open seat and smiling at her. For a second, she felt all her brain cells freeze. She was accustomed to gorgeous men. Hell, she was having a wild affair with two, but there was something about Eli that stunned her. Women who walked by the table slowed down.
“So, Maura, have you ever been to the Big Island?”
* * * *
“This is going to kick some ass,” Zeke said as he looked at the new set up in Rough ‘n Ready. “I knew some of the preliminaries, but Conner didn’t tell me you had it installed.”
Micah nodded. “He did an excellent job with it. We needed something to keep up with the demand of a growing business. And, well, it sure is pretty.”
Zeke didn’t take his attention from the multitude of screens in front of him. “We really appreciate you moving your business to us.”
“We like to keep it in the family so to speak. At the time, McMasters was the best we could afford. Now that we’ve grown and we sort of count y’all as family, we wanted a change. With Conner trying to gain some business in this part of the world, we figured it would help. We get a lot of businessmen who buy daily or weekly passes.”
“I think that is bloody brilliant, if you ask me,” Rory said. “Especially in a locale like this. People constantly coming in for a small amount of time.”
“It’s been a virtual cash cow for us,” Evan said.
Zeke nodded and started playing with some of the cameras. “I can imagine.”
“What is that asshole doing here tonight?” Evan asked, stepping up behind him.
At first, Zeke wasn’t sure just who he was talking about until he looked at the screen that had caught his attention. He watched as some fucker leaned closer to Maura, smiled as he said something. Maura threw her head back and laughed. Zeke couldn’t hear her, but it didn’t matter. What the bloody hell did that bastard think he was doing?
“Who the fuck is that?” Zeke asked.
Rory came up from behind him and looked over his shoulder. “I think if he touches her, I might have to break his hand.”
“That’s one of our members, Eli St. John. I didn’t know he was back on the island.”
“Well, he can just get the bloody hell off the island,” Zeke said as he strode to the door. He knew they were following him but he paid no heed. Didn’t Maura understand that she wasn’t supposed to be flirting with another Dom? He wasn’t even in the fucking life and he understood it.
He ignored the strange looks as he pushed through the crowd to where the women were sitting. Maura looked at him and grinned, but it soon dimmed when she saw his expression. The jackass who had been flirting with her looked over his shoulder and the fucker was stupid enough to smile.
“Ah, just as I expected. Gentlemen,” he said, standing. He heard the slight Aussie accent, and he saw the warning in his gaze. This was not just some normal client. This was a guy who h
ad seen some action. He looked past Zeke. “Chambers. Ross. I was just talking to the ladies here.”
“When are you not,” Dee said struggling to stand up. He moved to help her, but Micah stepped in.
“I allow for a lot, but touching my woman is not one of them.”
St. John held up his hands. “No problem, just wanted to help her. Promise.”
“Eli, this is O’Brian and McAllister. Guys, this is Eli St. John. He runs the Kaheaku Ranch on the Big Island,” Evan said. “Sort of surprised to see you here. Aren’t you usually busy this time of year? I thought you had your annual pageant for the guests.”
The man’s smile dimmed a bit. “Big Joe is here at Queen’s. I hopped over to see him. And now that I’ve done my duty, I think I’m off to hunt for another fair submissive. Good night, ladies. It was a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Dillon.”
With that he walked away. Zeke and Rory never had a chance to say a damned thing to him.
“He’s so sad,” May said, as she stood.
“Sad?” Zeke asked.
“Yes. I have a feeling Joe Kaheaku is dying. They go a long way back.”
“And before you think about following him or giving him any problems, O’Brian just know that he’s ex SASR,” Ross said.
Maura gave them a heated look. “You will not give him any problems.”
Rory snorted, his gaze still on the cowboy. “I think I do what I want.”
“I think you’ll be sleeping alone if you do.”
He turned and looked at her. “Is that so?”
She ignored him and looked at Chambers and Ross. “SASR. So, Australian Special Forces. And I am assuming he was probably one of the most lethal of them all.”
Evan shrugged. “Not sure. I do know that Joe was a Seal, so that’s probably how they met and they run a tight ship over there at the ranch.”
She looked at both of them. “Do not cause a scene. He was telling me about things at the ranch and even invited all three of us to visit.”
Zeke watch the bastard walk through the crowd to find himself another sub for the evening. It took all of his control not to follow after the bastard.
A Little Harmless Fantasy Page 17